Blessings, dear friends. We hope you've had a wonderful Thanksgiving
weekend. Those of us who are part of the Living the Solution team have
been spending time with our families while also working on some exciting
changes for the future!
One of the things that I reflect on with our e-ministry is how even the
small things we do can have special importance. Perhaps to just one person,
or it could be for many. We just want to be part of the great loving
movement that is going on in the world, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The Body of Christ is a real thing. Despite the challenges of religion,
various denominations, codes, rules and dogma — despite any obstacles
God is revealing and working His purpose in and through those of us who
willing to make the effort and to accept the free grace.
If you are struggling right now, hurting, despairing or searching please
know that we are here to help you with your journey. While we may not
be able to relieve your financial burden we hope to feed your soul.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. We should be grateful for all our blessings.
Even in the hardship many of us are going through. Especially in
our hardships. Think about this: we don't really deserve anything new
until we are grateful for what we've already received.
October of 1789 President George Washington issued a proclamation for
an official observance of Thanksgiving. See
it here.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving and thank you for spending time with Living
the Solution!
November 21,
2008
National Bible Week starts
Sunday. Combined with the Thanksgiving Holiday
it is a great time to dig a little deeper
into Scripture and to also ask the Holy Spirit
to reveal to you God's love and message as
you study the Word.
Find some helpful resources with the special
section at Christianity Today.
November 19,
2008
Are you looking for ministry opportunities or ways you can volunteer
your abilities and service to Christian organizations? There is a web
site that is focused on this.
ChristianVolunteering.org is
a community of online members and can match
volunteers with Christian organizations.
The organizations can also recruit through
this site. There are even resources for churches
and small groups to use including sermon
outlines, Bible studies on justice and service
and much more. It is hosted by Gospel
Communications (Gospel.com). Visit
the site here.
November 17,
2008
Did you know that you are talented? It's true. God has gifted every single
one of us with a talent of some kind. Some people have more than one.
And not all the talents are the same. God loves diversity, but He also
wants us to use and share our various talents for the benfit of all.
Unlike what our culture seems to teach us, we do not have to be the best
at something to make a contribution. Also, the kind of talents you have
do not have to be what our culture holds up as most important, such as
physical beauty, athletic skills and entertainment ability. Celebrate
your talents, your God-given gifts, of interpersonal relationship building,
compassion, leadership, encouragement, writing, speaking, organizational
ability and money management. If you can make people laugh or think or
help them learn, if you know how to make things grow (plants and people),
please use these gifts!
God's gift to us is our life and our talents. What we become is our gift
to God.
Read Matthew
25:14-30 and ponder the parable Jesus presents about using
talents. You might also want to read a fine article commenting on this
scripture passage by Brandon
Jubar - here.
November 13,
2008
November is a month where many of us concentrate on gratitude. Maybe
this is because the Thanksgiving holiday is this month. Regardless, giving
thanks is always a good thing and we do well to take time to both contemplate
it and to do it.
Take time today to give thanks. Let it be in your heart and on your lips.
Even when (especially when) circumstances test you. A heart full of gratitude
is expressed in outgoing love.
November 11,
2008
Today is Veterans Day and we honor those who serve.
There is nothing inconsistent in praying for the end of warfare while
supporting our troops. The same can be said of patriotism. It is not
unpatriotic to protest unjust war.
As Christians we love and support our "neighbors" and that
certainly includes anyone you know who has performed military service.
We thank those who've sacrificed for our freedoms. We who have never
been called upon to make those sacrifices can never know what it is truly
like. War is horrific, but there have been countless instances of people
performing great acts of kindness, courage and compassion in war-torn
situations.
If you know a Veteran tell them thank you. There is also a great need
to preserve the stories from Veterans willing to tell them. I encourage
you to discover more about the Veterans
History Project, a volunteer effort from the Library of
Congress to collect and preserve stories of wartime service.
November 6,
2008
The election in the United States is over and the American people have
chosen their new president. Barack Obama will take office in January
and he will face a number of great challenges. The economic difficulties,
a war in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, our energy needs, health care
issues, education, immigration and a host of other issues.
We must remember that these challenges are not his alone. And he is not
a messiah. He is a man who will be called on to lead. We already have
a savior to put our trust in. The great call for each of us is to work
together to improve things. We rely on the teaching of Jesus Christ and
on his help to live and love. It is not an easy task for any of us. But
it is our responsibility to take each day and let God transform us through
grace and love. We grow in hard times. Let us put our differences aside
and each day do something to make life better for each other. Jesus asks
us to love our neighbors as he loves us.
November 4,
2008
Election Day, 2008. It is the evening now and I, like many others, am
watching the voting returns and coverage on television. It is still too
early to predict who will be the next President of the United States.
Regardless, I hope that we all recognize that this democratic process
is crucial and important to our country. It is a fundamental part of
our freedom to be able to vote and elect our leaders.
When the dust clears and the results are in I pray that we can unite
and work towards the common good of our land. It starts with each of
us, in our homes and our communities. The issues that should matter to
us the most as Christians are rooted in the Gospel message. Love God
and love others. Help those who are in need. Don't harden your heart
or become cynical. Revere life. And be grateful that we have a Lord who
invites us to be in union with him so that together we make a difference
in our families, our neighborhoods, our communities and our country.
November 3,
2008
Anyone who has been involved in Christianity and the churches of today
recognizes that not all is as it should be. Humans are flawed, so our
practice of Christianity is often flawed. We still need to be constantly
redeemed by Jesus Christ and what He is really trying
to show us, to teach us and lead us into living the Gospel.
Fortunately, there are some bold voices willing to point this out and
encourage us. Rob Bell has a new book, Jesus
Wants to Save Christians. In the book he reminds us that
we need to be bold about recognizing our shortcomings, to see how poverty,
war, fear and wealth are often dragging us down and away from Jesus'
message. Find out more with this
article at Relevantmagazine.com.
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